Our Point of views for SFT Drill Competition 2012

SFT Drill Competition 2012

Compiled by Sarah Cheong & Aileen Cheong

“Seek, Serve, Follow Christ! We are ONE in His eyes! 1st KL, we love Christ!”

-Our cheer during the competition

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the word DRILL? Do you cringe at the thought of it? Or do you look forward to it? Well, this year 1^st KL GB formed a drill team which comprised of 12 girls to represent the company in a competition. We participated in Girls’ Brigade’s Selangor Federal Territory Drill Competition 2012. It was held on the 11^th of August 2012 and we had the competition in the basketball court of MBS KL.

                We started our practices early in the year around April. Each Saturday, we would sacrifice our free time to stay back after our GB meetings to practice doing drill together. By June, we were having practices on Sunday afternoons! It was hardcore training sessions with a lot of different sequences to be learnt every week. This year, our drill competition consisted of two parts. One was the execution of drill commands given to the commander by the organizing committee. The other was the execution of the formation and cheer that we ourselves had to create. This meant that every formation and cheer from each competitor was different.

                On that Saturday, all the competitors were geared up for the event, arriving earlier before the event started to give the drill court a try. Our team was no different. Even though the event only started at 2.30pm, our team had gathered at 10am to do our preparations together. 

Time soon flew by quickly and the event began. We felt blessed as we had many friends and family members who came to support us and cheer for us. Even the 1^st KL Boys’ Brigade members came to watch and encouraged us.

                Soon, it was the moment of truth. We march up to the court and proudly did our sequence, giving it our best. Though there were some unforeseen errors that occurred, we continued on with our drill sequence. We executed commands and formations and cheered our cheer wholeheartedly. Our 12 minutes of show time was soon over. We were honestly quite relieved that the hard part was over.

                After some light refreshments prepared for all the participants and supporters, the moment of truth came. It was the announcement of the results. Our hearts were pounding fast as the announcement of the results began. Holding hands, all of us present there clung on to each other for support. The 2nd runner up was announced. It wasn’t us. Then, as the 1^st runner up was being announced, we all held our breaths. There were only two teams left to be announced. One was to be the champion. The announcer did not call upon our team. We won! We had managed to win this competition for the second time! We were overjoyed. And to add icing to the cake, the best commander award also went to our commander, YL Leong Yen May, who showcased her skills with confidence. This was indeed a memorable day for us and we are thankful for the support and guidance given to us by our trainers, officers, friends and family. Their encouragement every week was a source of our endurance. We are also thankful to our Father in heaven for keeping us strong and healthy throughout all this. Without Him, none would have been possible.

SFT Drill Competition 2012

11 August 2012
that date marked the day we created history.

Through what seems to be endless hours in the Sun, and the never ending "REPEAT!"s the hard work paid off (:
Though it may not be perfect and with minor mistakes, we can still proudly said that we have done our best and made the people around us proud. By being there on the battlefield itself was already an achievement to be proud of.

This weekend has been a great and memorable one for me.

appreciation has to be expressed to all the following:

- our dedicated trainers Ms Felicia, Ms Shana, Mr Jonathan and Mr Yow.
THANK YOU for being there in the Sun with us week after week and for sacrificing your time to help us through this. Hopefully we have made you proud with our achievements :D

- the awesome teammates
THANKS loads for being there to make this another great memory for me. Your forgiveness whenever I make mistakes and cause us all to repeat the sequence is much appreciated! 

- the great supporters!
1) Mr William Kwong, our youth worker, you're really a great supporter! thank you for being in the Sun with us during our practices and continuously encouraging us whenever we make mistakes. you memang GB MAMA! :P
2) The parents. Thank you for being so supportive and understanding. Sending us through and flow and worrying for our health must have been really tiring. thank you loads! (:
3) 1st KL BB. Thank you for being present and supporting us during the competition. The noise you all made was appreciated :P


 The journey may have been tough but through it all, we know that's what makes us stronger. I'm gonna miss this till th next round. Practicing drill had become a routine for me every Sunday, and after the competition it was the last.

Seek, Serve, Follow Christ! We are ONE in His eyes! 1st KL we love Christ! ♥

The changes and improvements we have all undergone is already a prize itself.

We win, we praise God
We lose, we also praise God


here's the video of how we did! proud and satisfying moment :D

though there's minor mishaps, we know we did our best and made ourselves proud. (:

-YL Sarah Cheong signing out!

1st KL GB Company Camp 2012! :D

Seeking God’s Treasure

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

What do you think of when the word CAMP is mentioned? Do you think of fun, tiredness, happiness or over dosage of excitement? That’s exactly how the members of 1st KL GB felt when we came back from our company camp. Every year, we have company camps for officers and girls to bond and see each other more than just on Saturday afternoons. This year was no different. On the 18th to 20th of August 2012, 1st KL GB went to Virgo Batik Resort, Lumut, Perak to have our annual company camp. The theme of this year’s camp was “Seeking God’s Treasure”.

We had a string of memorable moments throughout the entire camp. From being in the bus for nearly 10 hours in total, to being washed over by the waves, we certainly had an enjoyable time in camp. This year, our camp was not organized by the officers but by the girls themselves. With a camp committee of 5, there were many ups and downs along the way to the first day of camp. Two of the committee members could not make it for the camp, leaving only 3 to run the show. Thankfully, we had or ever ready and capable officers to lend a hand whenever needed.

At camp, we had many activities. Among the memorable activities that everyone enjoyed was going to the beach! The tide there was quite strong even at 4pm! But it was fun as we sat on the shore and got washed over by the strong waves as it came crashing on the shore. Before going to the beach, the campers also had a round of scavenger hunt. They had to go around the hotel looking for the many items that the facilitator wanted and take a picture of it. Besides going to the scavenger hunt, we had Mystery Night. This game involved the camp committee acting and the participants using their detective skills to crack the case. It was an exhausting yet fun and memorable game for many.

Our theme was incorporated into our Awards Session I. This was where we had talks between our own sections. From the Cadets, to the Juniors and then the Seniors and Pioneers, everyone broke off to their own sections and the session was headed by the officers. In Awards Session I, we learnt about the theme of our camp which was “Seeking God’s Treasure” which was derived from the verse Matthew 7:7.

From Matthew 7:7, it says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” We learnt that whenever we had a problem, our first solution to the problem should be by turning to God for an answer. We have to pray and build a connection with Him for Him to help us. Although we our first actions and instincts are to follow our own way, we have to learn to put our faith in God and make Him our priority in all things that we do.

We also had a few DIY sessions. Firstly, all participants had to design and decorate their own nametags. The creativity of our girls and officers shone as they wore their nametags throughout the camp. The other DIY session was during Awards Session II which involved the girls having to use their creativity and teamwork to display their interpretation of Matthew 7:7 through drama, singing and craftwork. We were all equally amused when each group went forward to present their masterpiece!

Truly, we all enjoyed ourselves in the camp one way or another. With the various activities, it was really a wholesome camp filled with fun and excitement. Even learning new skills were fun! Many of us brought home more experience and knowledge coming back from this camp. Departing from the place, many of the girls felt heavyhearted leaving. They had so much to say even after the camp! Here is a compilation of what the girls and officers had to say…

What the participants say…

1) What did you learn?

I’ve learned

… how to make a nametag. – Alita Pang, Cadet

… to ask, seek and knock. – Cheng Wan Rui, Junior

… what comes out of our mouth may hurt others. – Lea Ratos, Senior

… how to work together with my team mates. – Leong Yen Qi, Senior

… how to build teamwork. – Goh Yu Shaine, Senior

… leadership; how as a group leader, I have to guide and take care of all the younger girls. – Aileen Cheong, Senior

… how to take care of young children and also to Ask, Seek and Knock. If we really seek Him, we will find Him. – Ms Joanne, Officer

2) What did you enjoy most?

I enjoyed

… mystery night! – Nicole Chew, Junior

… scavenger hunt, the beach, the swimming pool and mystery night. – Esther Ooi, Junior

… the beach, treasure hunt, mystery night and the swimming pool. – Ng Sim Hui, Junior

… the sleeping time! Taking care of kids is not easy! – Aileen Cheong, Senior

3) What do you think is most memorable?

What I think was most memorable during the camp was

… watching movies in the bus! J - Mayern Ratos, Junior

… playing at the beach and having fun! – Amelia Hoo, Junior

… mystery night, which had dancing and acting and also playing in the waves at the beach with my friends. – Natalie Pang, Junior

… swimming at the beach and at the pool! – Zoey Ong, Junior

… the fellowship amongst everyone. – Iris Budiman, Senior

… being able to bond and have fellowship with the girls and know them more. – Joey Yin, Senior

… that this was my 1st company camp in GB together with the girls & officers. It started off with an unforgettable moment because of the long journey, which was about 5-6 hours, from KL to Lumut. Being stuck in the heavy traffic, stuck in the long queue to use the toilet and also starving for food, it was somehow a good memory for most of the girls. We had a good fellowship with one other as we shared the snacks among ourselves... I think these are the most memorable moments for me in this camp. What I learned most from the camp was the process of preparation of the daily devotional time and the two sessions of bible study. The learning of the bible study session helped us to share and exchange information with one another. Also, I noticed the committees members put in a lot of preparation, planning and thinking to ensure that the whole camp went on smoothly. Truly thank God for His guidance hand to make all things possible for all of us. – Ms Phoebe, Officer

Thoughts from our camp organizing committees...

It was a great challenge for me as it was my first time planning and conducting a camp. I went through a lot of difficulties such as planning activities, facing time constrain and much more. Through this experience, I learnt how to plan programs properly, have communication between everyone, practice time management, leadership, etc. Despite making a few mistakes and having busy schedules in the camp, I still really enjoyed the camp and the moments spent with the girls and officers. – YL Leong Yen May, Pioneer

This camp was very exciting and important because it was planned and arranged by the committee which included Yen May, Sarah, Kar Mun, Queenie and I. It was our first time planning a camp hence it was a great experience and training for all of us in the committee. I learnt how to plan things, work with people, how to take care of the younger ones properly and to set a good example. We were also told the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of our actions in front of the younger ones. I enjoyed the whole camp and the most memorable thing in this camp was our trip to the beach. It was nice to play at the beach with my friends. – Lee Yen, Pioneer

I’ve enjoyed planning the camp as a committee member. Seeing the photos of the participants in the camp made me feel satisfied that the aim of the camp, which is to bond the fellowship among the girls and officers, has been achieved. – YL Queenie Yin, Pioneer

Throughout this whole experience, I know I’ve gained a lot of experience. We were given the freedom of having control of what activities to be put into a camp! How many people can get that opportunity? I had the chance to carry out my ideas and accomplish it through this. However, all this would not be possible without the support from our officers, the hard work of our whole team, the understanding of the girls, and of course our loving Father in heaven who guided us throughout the way. I enjoyed this camp thoroughly even though it was a bit nerve wrecking before each activity was carried out. The worry that I felt before Mystery Night was especially high. But the sense of fulfillment comes through when the campers appreciate our efforts and enjoyed the camp. The smile on their faces as they talked about is truly the icing on the cake for me! – YL Sarah Cheong, Pioneer

-this report was featured on Wesley Methodist Church KL's

Wesley Tidings December 2012 issue

thanks for reading! God bless

-PR Coordinator signing off-

p/s: sorry about th font size and type, there's something wrong.. will try to fix it one day.

1st KL GB Fundraising Event '12

By Pr Sarah Cheong

“A carwash! That’s what we’ll do. A carwash will be able to raise money.”

And with that, our plans for our fundraising event began.

The planning began a month before the day of the actual event. It involved a lot of communication between us girls and the officers too. First, we had to set a date. Our initial plan was to have it on the 17th of March 2012. However, our plan backfired because an event was being held in our church on that day. I guess it was a blessing in disguise from God, for us to postpone our fundraiser. We ended up agreeing to have it on the 31st of March instead.

After all the planning was done, we had to put our plan into action. This involved a lot of advertising and making sure we had all the equipment needed. I had the opportunity to assist the chairperson, YL Leong Yen May, and was involved in the publicity. To be honest, I was very nervous when advertising this event on Facebook and through word of mouth. This was simply because I was afraid there would be a poor response to our fundraiser. Praise the Lord that my fears were pushed aside and thrown away, for on that day…

We had an overwhelming response from our customers! Our customers consisted of church members, friends and many parents of members of the Girls’ Brigade and Boys’ Brigade. To me, the blessing in disguise that helped our event become a success was that our fundraiser happened to fall on the same day as the Boys’ Brigade’s Awards day. When I first proposed that particular date, I honestly had no clue there would be another event on that day too!

On the day of the event, at 10 in the morning, we discovered that we only had one tap available for use! At first, I was worried because I was doubtful of whether we could achieve our goal of raising RM350. However, I soon started to worry about a different issue when we got started at 10.30am. Out of the blue, there were 6 cars to be washed then! I was horrified and excited at the same time. Horrified that we only had one water source to be shared among 6 cars, and excited that we may actually achieve our target, all at the same time.

Slowly, we adjusted to our condition. The first 6 cars took almost a total of 2 hours to finish washing and vacuuming. It took time, but we managed to earn RM90 with satisfied smiles. Soon, we learnt how to work as a team and our working speed increased.

Throughout the 8 hours of our working time, we managed to wash a total of 49 vehicles and we also washed the Church van for free! The most challenging vehicle to wash was most definitely the Church van. We had to climb chairs just to wash the roof of the van and washing it was also difficult but we enjoyed it. And our Juniors even helped out too. The bonding moments between us girls can be created anytime.

This project has helped us to learn a few valuable lessons. A lesson most of us learned is that through teamwork we can all achieve our goals much easier than expected. This is a lesson which can be applied almost anywhere and at anytime. Besides that, we also learned that if we start doing something (washing cars), we must put our best effort at it and do our best, or we will have to rewash! As for me, I learned that we should always be optimistic when we start a task as you’ll never know what surprises could happen later on. A great amount of thanks has to be expressed to the people who supported our event but the BIGGEST thank you has to be given to God. He stopped the rain and provided a beautiful weather for us. Now, we can say that through that one day, we washed cars in the rain, in the hot sun and also under the cloudy weather. That’s about it for this article of mine. Oh yeah, did I mention we earned RM900 plus? 1st Kuala Lumpur Girls’ Brigade BOLEH! (:


 
-this report was featured on Wesley Methodist Church KL's Wesley Tidings June 2012 issue